Meta

This popular cereal induces tranquillity and sleep. It possesses calming and sedative properties. These properties emanate from oatmeal. A tea made from oats is especially valuable in cases of chronic headaches. It also makes a good bedtime drink for those who are unable to sleep as well as for those who are suffering from nervous exhaustion. Excessive use of oats should, however, be avoided as high doses may cause gas, abdominal bloating and pain.

More than 30 different compounds have been isolated from onions, which are potent enemies of carcinogens. These compounds include diallyl sulphide, quercetin animals, they block the most terrifying cancer-such as nitrosamines and aflatoxin, linked stomach, lung and liver cancer. Feeding garlic consistently blocks cancer. Harvard scientists immunized hamsters against certain cancers by putting in their drinking water.

Liquorice, a popular spice and a flavouring agent, is an anti-cancer food. It has the properties, which not only help prevent cancer but also retard its spread. Triterpenoids contained in liquorice may block quick-growing cancer cells and cause some pre-cancerous cells to return to normal growth. This spice can be used either in the form of powder, decoction or infusion. These preparations can be taken mixed with honey.

One way to reduce the chances of breast cancer is to curtail oestrogen levels in the blood. It can be achieved by taking wheat bran cereals. Wheat bran has specific property to lower dramatically the circulating levels of cancer-promoting oestrogen in the blood. This was found in a research study by David P. Rose, M.D., of the American Health Foundation in New York.

Dr. Kirstine Nolfi of Denmark, who herself suffered from cancer, found by experiment the value of raw foods in treating cancer. She recovered from this dreaded disease after treating herself with an exclusive diet of raw foods and then opened an institution called Humlegarden. She attained great success in treating cancer patients at this institution and wrote a book about her success.

Herbs and spices have long been used in ancient medicine as carminatives—agents that help expel gas and relief flatulence. The main pharmacological agent is considered to be oils in the plants. These oils relax smooth muscles, thereby allowing gas to escape. In some cases the gas erupts upward through a relaxed sphincter muscle between the esophagus and the stomach. Then it is called a burp or a belch. Carminatives also have an antispasmodic, muscle-relaxing effect in the intestine.

This popular spice is of great value as a gas relieving food. It is highly beneficial in the treatment of several digestive disorders like indigestion and flatulent colic. A decoction should be prepared by boiling 6 cloves in 30 ml of water. This decoction should be taken thrice daily after meals as a carminative medicine in treating these conditions.

The caraway seeds are a popular spice and a flavouring agent. The dried fruits or seeds are brown in colour, hard and sharp to touch. They have pleasant odour, aromatic flavour, sharp taste and leave somewhat warm feeling in the mouth.

Mint is a popular spice, used extensively jn Indian cooking. It contains plenty of vitamins and is rich in several minerals. It is much valued as a stimulant and as a drug that relieves flatulence. It is useful in strengthening the stomach and promoting its action and also in counteracting spasmodic disorders.

Beans or legumes are one of the fastest-acting and safest cholesterol lowering foods. Studies show that they consistently help lower cholesterol. According to James Anderson, M.D., of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, eating 170 grams of cooked dried beans a day generally reduces bad cholesterol by about 20 per cent. The result can be expected in about three weeks.